The air grew thick and sour as the group emerged from the exiting stairwell of the Twin Towers' basement. Before them sprawled the Black Mire, a swamp of tar-like muck that shimmered with an unnatural sheen. The acrid stench of decay and sulfur hit them like a wave, forcing Amara to gag and Rowan to cover her nose with her sleeve.
Sylva stepped forward cautiously, her roots pulling back from the edges of the mire. "Stay close and don't fall in," she said, her voice low and firm. "This place… it's not forgiving."
Keiran frowned as he glanced at her. "You've been here before?"
Rowan tilted her head. "Yeah I thought you said this place was impossible to reach. So you couldnt of made it of been here before, right?"
Sylva hesitated, her luminous gaze fixed on the bubbling tar. For a moment, she seemed lost in thought. Finally, she spoke, her voice tinged with a mix of regret and caution. "I have been here, once. But not alone. The Sentinel brought me to the edge of the Core's inner sanctum before he finally succumbed to his grief."
Keiran's brow furrowed. "Did he come come here for the same reason as our Aiden?"
"Yes," Sylva replied, her voice growing quieter, "he also believed I could reason with the Core. He thought I could stop its destruction… bring balance. But I watched the Core toy with him instead, taunting him with the death of his Lila. That was the moment he gave up. And when he did, the Core forced me out. I've never tried to return—until now."
Rowan crossed her arms, her tone edged with curiosity. "So, if the Core could force you out, why hasn't it done the same now?"
Keiran's voice was quiet but firm. "Because it wants her here."
"Exactly,"Sylva turned to him, her glowing eyes narrowing slightly. " and this time the cores tactic has changed, keeping poor lila alive."
Rowan stepped forward, spinning her rope dart absently in her hand. "Alright, so what's the plan? How do we stop this thing?"
Sylva exhaled slowly, her roots extending cautiously along the mires beaten path to test its stability. "There are… possibilities. But none of them are without risks."
She turned to face the group, her expression grim. "The Core has been consuming other Lilas across the timelines, absorbing their essence to strengthen itself and further complete what it once was. That's why it's getting stronger. It's becoming smarter, more calculated. And it's using that strength to manipulate Aiden—keeping him from us while setting the pieces in motion for him to kill me."
Keiran stiffened. "Kill you? Why would it want that?"
Sylva's gaze remained steady. "Because if Aiden kills me and it can absorb my remnants, the Core believes it could maintain dominance over the fusion using this method. It's a calculated risk on its part."
Amara's voice broke the silence, hesitant but thoughtful. "So… you said the Core came from the same being as you, right? Doesn't that mean you could do the same thing? Absorb the other Lilas for strength?"
Keiran shot her a sharp look. "Amara, that's—"
Rowan stepped in, raising a hand. "It's just a question, Keiran. Let her ask."
Sylva raised a hand to silence the brewing argument. Her voice was calm, though her expression was tinged with sorrow. "Yes, I could. But I won't. Forcing that on the other Lilas—violating their sense of self—would make me no better than the Core. And even if I were willing to take that step, there's no guarantee it would work the way we'd hope. Logically, the risks far outweigh any potential benefits."
Amara nodded slowly, her earlier brashness replaced with quiet respect. "I get it. Thanks for explaining."
Rowan glanced at Sylva, her tone sharper. "So, what can we do?"
Sylva hesitated, her roots extending slightly across the bubbling mire. "The only way to truly stop the Core is to attempt to complete myself. To merge with it willingly."
Keiran frowned. "And that's safe?"
Sylva's luminous gaze flickered. "No. The Core's presence is heightened by the pieces it has collected. Even if we merged, I can't guarantee I would remain… me. The equation is unpredictable."
"So what about Aiden killing the Core?" Rowan asked, crossing her arms.
Sylva shook her head. "If Aiden kills the Core outright, it would destabilize the Otherworld. Yggdrasil would wither, and with it, all timelines in the real world would fall to despair. Every timeline… gone."
Keiran's jaw tightened. "Then that's not an option."
Sylva nodded. "It isn't."
The group fell silent, the weight of her words settling over them like a shroud. Behind them, a low gurgling sound rose, breaking the tense quiet. The group turned in unison, their eyes widening as they saw the path they had come from sinking into the tar. The swampy water churned, swallowing the stone and debris with increasing speed.
Rowan cursed under her breath. "Uh, guys? We've got a problem."
Amara stepped closer to Keiran, her fan gripped tightly in her hand. "How fast is that coming?"
Sylva's roots spread across the ground, pulsing faintly. "Faster than we can run if we hesitate. Move!"
Keiran took the lead, his shield raised as he forged a path forward. The swamp's stench grew stronger, the tar bubbling ominously with each step. Rowan followed close behind, her rope dart spinning in her hand as she scanned for any threats. Amara and Sylva brought up the rear, the latter's roots weaving across the mire to stabilize their footing.
The path ahead was unclear, the swamp stretching endlessly into the horizon. Behind them, the encroaching tar threatened to consume everything. The group pressed on, the weight of their mission—and the Core's relentless manipulation—bearing down on them.
For now, their only option was forward.